A hard-boiled fast-paced narrative about sexual and political corruption in contemporary India Ajit Vajpayee is a drifter. A confused Marxist and a voyeur his is a life of little action and desperate thoughts-about political ideology violence and sex. One empty afternoon in Lucknow a mysterious man who knows his darkest secrets and shares his disillusionment with women offers him an opportunity for adventure he must spy on a minister’s wife a woman he is told with a genius for deception. The unlikely mission takes Ajit to Bombay and Bihar and he finds himself hopelessly caught up in a murky world of low politics high crime and twisted carnality. An erotic thriller set against the backdrop of caste conflicts mafia intrigue and the amorality of a modern world driven purely by ambition and wealth The Minister’s Wife is a racy and rewarding read. About the Author Amaresh Misra is a film-maker and freelance journalist. Hisprevious books include Lucknow Fire of Grace a best-sellingbiography of Lucknow.He lives in Delhi.